During operation of an axial flow turbomachine, air is continuously induced into a compressor. The air is accelerated by rotating blades and swept rearwards onto adjacent rows of variable stator vanes. Each blade/variable stator vane stage increases the pressure of the air. In some instances, the vane angle of the variable stator vanes may be controlled by a variable stator vane linkage assembly to optimize the efficiency of the compressor.
The variable stator vane linkage assembly may include one or more turnbuckles. Currently, adjustable turnbuckles are used to determine the optimal vane angles during installation and testing. However, once the optimal vane angles are known, the adjustability of the turnbuckles may become a liability. For example, having a turnbuckle with a fixed length prevents undesired modifications in the length of the turnbuckle from occurring during assembly, operation, and/or maintenance of the turbomachine. Small changes in the length of the turnbuckle will lead to undesirable and less optimal compressor vane angles. The compressor vane angle is critical to the compressor pressure ratio and also the efficiency of the turbomachine.